Adjustable wrench



oct s, 192s'.

B. P. KERFOOT ADJUSTABLE WRENCH Filed Oct. 27, 1924 fd f 'y Patented oct. 3o,l 192s.

the

UNITED mmoao vomi, Ni,

ADJUSTABLE WRENCH; l, i* f' This invention relates .to adjustable socket wrenches for turning nuts and bolts` ofas-i sortedfsizes. It is an objectof the invention to provide a: wrench having al1` expandible and contractible socket which .may be, ad: 1 justed tofit various sizesof nuts and which, whenfadjusted `for any selected size will re;V tain this adjustmentfuntil a dierent `ad-` l socket are 4located midway ofthe socket sections, and asma'ny sections are kprovided as there '.arevertices. i f

justment is desired ,by the operator.

lTo this end provision is i made of fa handle and a. sectionals ring metalvsoeketdirectly connectedto the andle by a shank which isff externally threaded. l A l contractingfzsleeve threaded upon` the exterior of the shankimay; be-screwedalong the shank in onedirection;` to contract the socket'` andin the-opposite.:

directionVl lto permitf the sockety to be Aexpanded.-v This contractingsleeveis con-,

neeted, through suitable 4means .to lan ex panding core within thev shank .to` simulataneously move they` core: longitudinall of the shank, so thatrupon movementb .the

sleeve in thedireetionftopermitfthewsoeketfy wrenehtof Vthis inventlon, `with soeketzshown to exspa'nd the expanding coreis moved with eeve1 to .positivelfv. expand: ,the socket, and uponlmovemento lt tween them in all adjusted positions with the `result that the 1` nut engaging,4 sections,a1 though of rather lightfspring metal, are held rigidly and unyieldingly` at all times.

aslong yas desired without anydanger of accidental disarrangement, due to thel fact,

f that the sleeve is inherently incapable@ofv movement longitudinally of the shank ,except 1 when seized,` and turned for the l purpose ofscrewing it `alongthe shank. n

l It is an kobject `ofthe iInventionftdv ,provide an adjustable socket Lvvrench'f for Luse lwith pol gonal nutshaving more than four sides,

favorable camming angles to o, expand 4`the socket'unless the socket 1s very securelyheld to its adjusted 'position.,K yThis invention therefore provides a meansforrigidly.hold-l helsleevein the op.- posite direction to contract; the vsocket the expanding y core is j moved with the sleevev to permit such'contraction; @The sleeveand n core are thus causednto grip `the inner VKand outer faces of the socket Vsections lfirmly bej ing thesections of thesocket in any adjusted TES z `It is arfurther object ofthe inventionto I" ,provide amadjustable socket vwrench so constructed and arranged that everyy cornerof -thenut tobe turned will-be gripped by the ,wrench, regardless'iofthe adjustment of its socketg'ff To lthis endthe vertices of the It is'still another-object of the invention to provide van adjustable socket-wrench that their faces remain :.parallelforfnearly Y sok 4to `the axis ofthe socket. The socket" when expanded is thus enabled to grip. the nuts' along their entireV lengths, the contact" not being confined to theupper cornersk .Other objectsfandadvantages will hereinafter appear.;V4 .l

,'F'gurel isjaview inele'vation ofthe novel as hexagonal.` i r Figure 2, is aw partly in section.4 l l t.

,Figure 4 is agsectionalview onthe line'f 4% of vlEFgure 3. 1;

lThewrench 'comprises' a woodenknob or i handle 1, having "an opening2 therein' which snugly-receives the `upper end oi" a long meta-1=,shankv3..;z-The handle `l is re- It, is obvious, of `coursethat any adjustment ofthe Wrench may be definitely maintained inforced at its lower end by a metal ferrule 4 and the shank 3 ismade fast in the open ing-2gofthe :handle lrby means of a screw 5 A that 's passesthrough the ferrule, 4 the `bottom part of the handle, and the shank.

The; shank 3l vextends downward and 'at its lowerlend is hollow and is s lit or sawed y along. thelinesa into a plura ity of socket sections 7. As .illustrated the socket ,1.6

formed bysaid sections 7 is hexagonal iny form andcons1sts of s1x separate spring metal fingers or sections '7 of` considerable lengtheach ofuwhich is inclined outward for i a short distance just above the socket formi-1,A ing part to. provide ezlrternal andjinternal cam "faces, 8,1 and 9,. f The lowverfends;v of .the lingersorfsectionsn. extend straight down# ward landreach has its interior formed to include adjacent halves `of two meeting sides of a regular hexagon, the vertex 7 ,of the les . socket when, the sleeve lO-isrmoved down:

wand along the shank .3.

' lheinteuior bore 13 of thes'hankt h onsestY anexp=1nding .Gore lt which 'iiaresoutwardf atfits loiveuentremityftoipiiozvide enfextemoneem surface l5 fon: ceoperationfwiththeninf terior cam surfaces 9 of the spiingrfingens' to; ysommato y them and. thereby: f ezpand. the socket'Athenitbeexpanding core is movedup- Ward alongfthesliank. Y Y

1t is .au importantjeature oil the invention` that ,plzonision is. the expanding Core 1d tounone longitudnallyy ofithe shanlz'ininnison with the contractingf sleeate 10. To this end: aipin '16, longerA :than

the internal diameter-off the sleeve Iltlgm'ay beinsertedv throughnone tlwo openings/I7 in the sleeve and fixed in the uppenendnof the jcorevlll with bothofx itssends projecting into -a .circulan groove 18ml the Ainnen wall` of# the sleeve 10. The shank 3 has .a.longitudi nelly extending; slot '1B-along which .thepin 16 can travel with the core 14 and thesleeve 10..` Willi .now he understood thati dwhen the sleeve 10 is turned relatively .tothe shank. Batlle pin it) is-notirotatedfwitll thesleeve being held. against rotation byithef'wal'ls Ao the slotI 419113111',thatiftheffpinrt6-s nevertheless forced Salong the` slot 19.: because lof. Athe fact. that thetends-of; saidvpin are received inthe circular groove l8-.otlthesleeve, so that theeore '141 is caused. tolmove along theshank- 3 in unison with the sleeve 10.

It will be appreciated,` of course, that-the sleeve 10 andfcore lltwi'lllstayin any positionto Whiehg they are adjusted Withoutl any liability ot 1nisp`lacementf, and thatf Ano amount otfontvwartl pressureexerted upon' the f socket forming lingers bywa 'nutfor lbolt beads will have'any tendency to enlargethe size of the-socket due tojthe very h'igli mechanicalf-advantagewhich the sleevefli'as over tlie socket sections as :y `result ofA the screw threadsand of the cuan sur-faces 8, 9; 121 and' 15. This is particularly important in connection Witha socket formed to engage hexagonnuts o'r-other nuts having -a-large number ot' sides, because oftlieact thatjtlle pressure of the nut tending1 to Y expand the socket increases as the anglesV attlm'vertices ot" theV socket increase. i'

:made ofmeans to causey The division ot the socket into as many tin erszorsections' as 'the socketA has sides an" l the arrangement whereby. the `vortices 7a are located at the middle of the fingers is veryirnportanthheeause it enables a grip to be fobtained"u'pn every corner of the nut, avhetherfthefsocket is expanded or contracted. It is at the corners that pressure can be cxented: moet edeotiively to turn the nuts'. The Wear upon the corners of the socket sections is 'also' greatly. reduced: with a .consequentlengtrherring o'tzli'icfofa the wrench.,

The spning ,fingers .7. torni ing the socket, exteiidltorzquite a'distanceiupivard from the pontionfon Wliichthe cam surfaces 122and l5 act; This-allows; for lateral spring and longitudinal. rigidity. The lateral spnin g essential to-allow ,lihof cooperating cam sur.- faces to guide; the duivel. ondrfportionsoffthw sooketzin a. substantial night linel or kparallel face overnentj and; to kcepftllersocltet .uniform` iiwcnoss: section from top toi1bet'to11r expanded', .or contracted. 'illhe 'longitudinal:` rigidity-is towprevent; any. undue `pressure f on i thedhandleiirom affecting tbelinnt engage` ment sofi, the mv ronch socket. i

'lllhisriglit lino action islobtained byv cans` ing-.the-Lpalrallell aces- 8andi9 of@ the fingers- 7 Yto travel 'f betiveen and incontuct with opposite parallel-faces 12and'15 oithe con-` tractingsloeve 10. andr the yexpanding',come 14i`is.'moued;.upxvsard alongi the shank, iti ben ds thenllpper portions-dfi the lingers 7 buh the oonlmctiijfg sleeve 5101 `keeps thev flaring. l pontions ofj .theftingers fmoin ych anging theirl dinectionswith-the` result that thehsoclet' fonning lends/are forced rom eacll other bntfare not caused-to diverge. The socket is-etheretore, flca'pablelot gripping the .nuts from topltp bottoni .equullv'and entirely, and' notA justait their upper extremitiesy where they are-apt und-subjectzfto ,be Wornroundi iWhiflefI have described thewrench as adapted for adjustment! tohexagonal nuts offvarious sizes, litis toybe understood that* tlie principies1 -of lt-he invention could beapplied to square, round' orother shaped1 nntsgivitliout d'partingfiom the -spiritfof-'the invention 'or "they scope of' the appended claims;

1'. T1'r`la-fvvrench, the-combination `with a handle and anadjustalfllc sectional socket, offa shank directly andpositi vel y con n ccting the-'handle'andfthe socket, a 'contracting sleeve threadedonthe exterior otY the `shank to begscrc'wed; in onedirection along, the sita-rile to contract the socket', and an expanding-core With-in the shank and movable longitudinally of theshanlc' with Ithe sleeve to expandthe socket when the sleeve screwed'alongthe shank 'in the opposite di rection.

'Ina wrench, the combination with a handle, anzadjnstable 'sectional' socket, and

Hill

the expanding core having cooperating Cain faces with the socket, forcingit to move in a right line motion.

3. In a Wrench, the combination with a handle, an adjustable sectional socket, and a shank directly and positively connecting the handle and the socket, of a contracting sleeve threaded on the exterior of the shank, and having a circular groove in its inner face,`

an exriandingV core Within the shank, apin fixed in the core and projectingthrough the shank into the circular groove in the contracting sleeveythe shank having a longitudinally extending slot in which the pin can travel with the sleeve, and the arrangement being such that the expandingcore is caused to travel with the sleeve longitudinally of s the shank.

In testimony whereof I have Valixed my signature to this specification. BRANCH P; KERFOOT. 

